I chose the cruise because it departs from Vancouver from our home town, cost is extremely high for what's it's worth. Wifi is expensive and unreliable, dining room and buffet menu selection is poor and limited and almost all meat is overcooked, sitting area is also limited and spread out, only one section of buffet, if you can't find a table close by (which most likely is occupied), you have to walked three blocks to get to the food station, very poor design, should at least put the buffet in the center, only a few items of food with displayed with limited selection and quantity. Hot noodles was served with three to four string of noodles (why bother) almost all customers asks for 3-4 portions Salad varieties is so terrible and only couple of bottle thousand island and French dressing Fruit varieties is poor and limited. mostly not quite ready, maybe worry they would go bad? I lost weight at the cruise by doing and eating nothing. I feel totally ripped off and no one anywhere to complain We were denied access to the theatre because I was pushing a stroller, claimed that the hall is full and yet they allowed someone else to walk in and invite them to stand at the back. Read Less

I went on this cruise to see the glaciers in Juno. It was absolutely breathtaking! The services in general on the cruise was wonderful. And the food at the restaurants were very tasty. The shows were spectacular. I also met some sweet and friendly people on board, including a couple of Australian sisters named Robyn and Jennifer, a nurse name Warren and his wife Shannon, an Irish couple named Dominic and Yvonne. My only regret is that I did not exchange my contact information with them. I don’t know how, But I hope to get in touch with them again. Maybe one of them will give me, Harry Potter, a shout. Overall, this was a fun cruise with lots of activities for our ages. I Will go on this cruise again because Norwegian was so good to guests with vision and mobility disabilities. This is important because my father has two bad knees and I have low vision. Clin729@gmail.com Read Less

I wanted to explore a new destination Alaska and what better way than on a cruise ship especially the Norwegian Bliss which was designed for Alaska Cruises. I've been on several Norwegian Cruises over the years and to me they are very well organized especially with both the embarkation and disembarkation. A lot of people don't understand that the disembarkation process depends a lot on custom but once clearance has been given from customs, Norwegian has a very well organized options for getting off the ship. I always get the spa pass and on this trip it was very important for me since I had acute back pain/sciatica nerve pain throughout my trip. I also had a 3 specialty dining package which I enjoyed very much plus 2 free specialty dinning options with 1 free bottle of wine as a courtesy for being a Platinum Lattitude Member. Norwegian always has a nice line up of great entertainment consisting of music venues, shows etc. I saw a Beatles cover band which were awesome but missed the theatre shows on account of being ill with the back pain issues on some evenings but overall I made the best of it and still had a relaxing vacation. I did one excursion in Skagway which was a 6 hour bus tour of the Yukon which included a nice lunch and the option to get off the bus several time during the road trip to take some awesome pictures. It was a very well run excursion which I booked through Norwegian. As a platinum member I received a 10% discount. Overall Norwegian offers a great value on their cruises with great dinning options, entertainment, excursions and they offer generous perks to their repeat cruises through the Lattitude Program. I even had all my clothes washed and folded for free for my Platinum Lattitude status which I appreciate.. Read Less

We left from Seattle, and arrived the day before ship departure. We stayed at Hotel Ändra, highly recommended and great location. We were pleasantly surprised and had a great time exploring Pike Market, Space Needle etc. We actually would have spent more time here! But we came for a cruise, and it sure delivered. This ship is absolutely fantastic, but what makes it even more of a spectacular experience is the multi cultural staff and the personality of the staff. ALL of the staff was amazing, smiling, pleasant, eager to help and just happy! Embarking was so smooth, came at allotted time and we were literally never waiting for more than a few minutes in a line. Very well organized. Same with disembarking, we never new they set up the paths or anything and it was smooth sailing. We used the shuttle service to the airport and had our bags shipped to our destination and that as well went without any problems. We had a stateroom with a balcony and it was roomy, clean and beautiful views at all time. I’m so happy we did this because I enjoyed sun out on that balcony more than once and enjoyed grabbing fresh air in privat. We chose 250 WIFI minutes and I have to say I checked in w my adult kids daily and never used up the minutes. We also had the beverage package and high end beer/wine and liquor was part of that so we could vacation “properly”. For us it was well worth it! We also chose to do the upgraded dining package for 4 days. We chose this because we wanted to try out some of the restaurants and wanted to be able to have reservation...we realized after you could still make reservation at the main dining room but we were blown away with the Mexican Los Lobos and Cagneys....food was to die for!!! Elizabeth at Los Lobos was the best waitress we’ve ever had!!! The food is so good everywhere though and you will never go hungry, never. For excursions we had chosen to do a whale watch in Juneau followed by a quick tour to the Mendenhall Glacier. We saw plenty of whales and the tour was awesome, they even provided binoculars! We saw the glacier right before it got dark so we were happy! The second excursion was in Skagway where we did the train ride, goldpanning and dog sledding. We learned so much this day we’re still in awe. The train ride was spectacular and our guide, Klondike Mike, was incredible at telling the history! We’ll definitely be following the Iditarod race in March! So overall, the excursions where absolutely worth the money. We did our own thing in Ketchikan, which worked out perfect for us. We travelled with another group of 3 other couples but had already decided we were doing our own thing. It was easy communicating with our company through the app so we could meet up whenever. There were always some activity going on if you were up for it. I ended up splurging and got the spa pass for the week and enjoyed the time in there immensely. If there was something I would “suggest” changing it would be the Beatles show, we never got to see that show because you had to stand in line for at least 45 min everyday, how about reservations for that? And the Observatory Lounge is such beautiful space to take in all the views,how about a child free section? There were times when groups of 10-15 people with their young children took over whole areas for a full day. We absolutely recommend this trip and are already thinking about where our next cruise will bring us. Read Less

I'm so glad we went despite some of the negative reviews. I have not one complaint! Although every trip has a snag or two, I just don't sweat the small stuff. We loved our mini suite. Yes, it may be as big as other ships suites, but it was certainly big enough The larger bathroom with the nice shower was great! The room steward was nice and friendly and we were obliged in every request I read lots of complaints about food before we left but I thought it was excellent. So many choices we didn't hit them all. We could find something 24 hours a day. The bars were great! We had the drink package and felt it was well worth the money. I'm not even a big drinker but 7 days I sure put some away and it was worry free. Some people I met did not have the package and regretted that in about day 5. The excursions were well organized and we had a great time on each one. We had the sea plane excursion and it was canceled due to weather. Once again, although disappointing i just didn't sweat it. We just picked something else and I was happy I could go on and on but I just feel if everyone could just relax and remember the staff are trying to please about 4000 people at once it brings things into perspective. You may encounter that one crew member that isn't as friendly or helpful as they should be but that is just a one off. Don't sweat it, find someone else to ask Read Less

Alaska was a bucket list trip for my mother and father. Unfortunately, my mother passed away and my father is starting to lose mobility. So, this was a very important trip for my sister and I to take with my father, and Alaska did not disappoint. The embarkation went smoothly, we were on the ship by 11:30 am which is a very impressive turnaround time. The ship is amazing as always. NCL ships tend to have a very similar layout, so I already knew my way around the 19 deck (20 if you include laser tag) floating luxury hotel. On the Joy they also have Galaxy Pavilion which is a virtual reality arcade. I walked around it with my sister and it seemed really interesting and an unique idea for a cruise ship. Spice H20 has a huge hot top much bigger than their other ships. Of course, I was most impressed by being able to sit in a hot top while staring at glaciers. The dinning I have mixed views on: Buffet: Convenient, easy to grab something quick, great for an easy breakfast, the omelette station is good for getting fresh eggs, but the food did not really stand out. Observation Lounge: Great place for getting a snack! The first day I had a spinach focaccia bread that was delicious, I kept going back hoping they would have more, but it was only there the first day. Surprisingly, the deserts they had there were different than the ones at the buffet and better! If you like carrot cake look for it at the observation lounge! Local: Their appetizers are great; they have a Greek watermelon feta salad that's good. Their burgers are burgers and a bit over-cooked to my taste (I was surprised that they did not ask me how I wanted it) Taste/Savor/Manhattan Room: Their main dinning is good. Their steak/beef menu options are nothing to write home about. (Granted I have to take into account that I may have been a bit spoiled by my first two nights at specialty restaurants) I was however impressed by their appetizers in fact one night I order 3 apps instead of getting an entree. Their deserts were fabulous! NCL knows how to do desserts across every restaurant that they have on board. Temppanyaki: Was spectacular! The show was good, the fried rice and vegetables were good, but most importantly the filet mignon melted in your mouth. This restaurant is a must! I love hibachi and NCL out does most if not all of the hibachi places I have been to. Cagney's: The service here was beyond compare. You can tell NCL takes pride in this restaurant! The steak was great and do not even get me started on how amazing the truffle mash potatoes were. La Cucina: This was my least favorite out of the specialty restaurants. It was good and better than main dinning (though the service was not anything special, and I had some great waiter in the main dining rooms that were more attentive) The burrata was my favorite part and the pesto gnocchi was also very good. Entertainment was pretty good. I really enjoyed elements it was different, engaging, and had amazing special effects, it is a must see! The performers were also friendly and fun! The game shows were always nice to stop and watch in the atrium, I love the shows that include guests, they are always funny, and a good time. There were some days that not much in the itinerary seemed interesting, but I grabbed some friends I met on board and started a game of cards in the observation lounge which was just as fun. Dan Dan the cruise director was great, and I really enjoyed him in late night entertainment. If you like dancing the social is the place to go however, I do have some mixed feelings there. For the most part the service was spectacular. However, I did have an unfortunate incident (which happened to be on my birthday) where a crew member yelled at me, then my sister and it caused my sister to get upset because she is shy and quiet. (Which made me more upset) The next day my sister ran the cruise critic and I met the officers. Martin Ivanov the general manager said to come with him to with any concerns, and without much detail I told him it was my Birthday and this crew member was a jerk and provided him with a picture of the crew members badge. I have to say both him and Ana Maria Malata really took care of me and helped make my birthday special, I was blown away. My cabin Steward was amazing I some how do not have a picture of his badge but I his name was Joevi (I probably misspelled that) He decorated my cabin and hand wrote a birthday card for me. I felt bad about making a compliant and was so impressed by the crew that I thought “whatever everyone has bad days.” Unfortunately, the second to last night at the 80’s party in the social. The crew member that I said was a “jerk” confronted me saying that I got him in trouble. (I am not using his name because I really do not want anyone to be in trouble) He might have meant well, but he was in no way apologizing and, even kind of threatened me, so awkward. I work in corporate management and it made me cringe to think of employee confronting a complaint/ threatening a client. It is a bit sad that I had to avoid a crew member on the ship, but at that point the cruise was almost over and I really did not want to be involved, I just wanted to enjoy my vacation. The rest of the crew was amazing, and I really hope if I go on another NCL cruise that I will not have to deal with an angry crew member, and that no other future passenger does either. Excursions: Juno: Canoeing/Glaciers Fun but there was no wildlife, they did provide rain gear which was a bonus Skagway: Kayaking Cold, but beautiful. I saw bald eagles, a bear, and tons of salmon! Ketchikan: Lumberjack Show/ Totem Park Lumberjack show was a bit cheesy but fun and learning the history of clans in Alaska through Totem stories was a cool experience. Glacier Bay: Not an excursion but still an amazing day on the boat. NCL opened the bow of the boat for close viewing, provided blankets, and even had an expert on board to talk about the glaciers. Disembarkation was well organized even though there was a line/wait to get off the ship. Read Less

Our cruise was almost 5 hours late leaving San Pedro (LA). Because of this our port time in both Ketchikan and Juneau was severely shortened. Our stop in Victoria, B.C. was skipped entirely! Very disappointed. Buffet foid was always cold! Even breakfast items like oatmeal, eggs and waffles were cold. Very minimal low carb or low sugar items available. Sabattinis extra cost restaurant was disappointing. Not worth the extra. Crown Grill extra cost restaurant was superb. Our cabin steward Jadeah was supern! Room was kept made up and very clean. Shore excursions were very goid even in limited by time in port in both Ketchikan and Juneau. Yukon Adventure and Whites Pass & Yukon Railway excursion in Skagway is not to be missed! We saw orcas on our whale watch from Juneau and bears eating salmon on our excursion from Ketchikan. Our ship did not allow us to go ashore in Victoria, BC as was advertised. Overall our cruise experience on the Royal Princess was positive. The extremely late departure from LA cause several very large disappointments later in the cruise. Read Less

Beautiful ship, well appointed. All bars had awesome staff, especially Magnums and O’Shanahons . Specialty restaurants that we picked had wonderful food. We didn’t buy and shore excursions, (too $$$$) but, did do the port shopping experience. Disappointed in daytime entertainment options when we returned to ship. Appreciated the hand sanitizer stations throughout the ship. Best entertainment by far was Fire and Ice (Michael Jackson/ Tina Turner) done by Rosie. . The entire staff on the Jewel had the best attitudes, always with a smile and asking if we needed help. Dan the Man was fun and helpful with announcements. Loved the drink package and the Specialty Dining. We are already planning on returning soon. Maybe the 16 days thru the Panama Cancel, Florida to LA where we live. We took advantage of the CruiseNow package. I personally have cruised on Cardinal Cruise Line.......I will never go back. I’m in love with NCL! Thank you for a very enjoyable cruise Gail Ropp Traveling with Lance Lomax Read Less

The ship was very clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful overall. The food in the buffet was usually cold and bland, sometimes inedible. It was incredibly busy up there and difficult to find seating. Other complementary dining was fairly bland as well. The speciality restaurants were much better and if I cruised with NCL again I would only dine there. However, I don’t think that you should be forced to pay extra for a decent meal, the food that is included should be edible as well. The temperature on-board was too warm. Entertainment was very good. Jersey Boys was high quality and the female comedian was excellent. I avoided most of the “activities” on-board because they were just an excuse for staff to try to sell things. I often felt that I was on a week long timeshare info session being bombarded with up selling. Nothing is free on NCL. The spa was the worst and I knew what to expect going in but I was even surprised. I went to a “hair show” where they were supposed to talk about hair health, the best cut for your face shape, etc., and give away a free cut and style to one of the attendees. They jammed 8 of us into a corner and a very rude salon worker came out and said he specialized in hair loss and they scheduled the wrong time for the hair show so he’d be talking about that instead. We were trapped in the corner for 40 minutes as he tried to sell his special $3600 hat to us. None of us struggled with hair loss. He said he would give us a free consultation but told us repeatedly not to waste his time. He was rude to one 17 year old girl who seemed disinterested during his lengthy presentation and asked her to repeat what he had said and clapped in front of her face. I was so mad when we were finished because he wasted 40 minutes of my time. I felt that I couldn’t leave because I was physically squished into the corner and because I find confrontation uncomfortable. Also, there was no giveaway for the cut and style and I wanted to see a hair show. It was a complete scam. I complained to the manager on the phone afterward and she said there was confusion about scheduling. I explained that the employee was aware that wasn’t what we were there for but he went on with his high pressure sales pitch anyway. She said she could offer me a consultation for my hair but after that experience and having now complained I was not comfortable going back. Also, someone who went to the session was entitled to a free cut and no one got one. I wouldn’t have even cared if I didn’t get it, but if you promise something like that you should follow through. Other activities like bingo were extremely overpriced for the amount of prizes given away. One package was $60 and the bingo jackpot was just over $100. That’s outrageous. You have at least 200 people buying tickets between $30 and $60, that’s a minimum of $6000-$12000 and your total prizes are $600? Not to mention that the cruise staff took forever calling the numbers so that they could sell you more stuff in between. It was painful, not fun. The atrium being where most activities were held seemed like a poor design to me. There wasn’t enough seating there and it was very loud. Again, most of the “activities” were cheesy or a way to sell stuff, but even if it was something I was interested in I would avoid it because the space was uncomfortable. Also, the service counter and other desks were in the same area and it was impossible to hear them when you needed help. Overall the cruise was good. The new ship was still in very good condition which was a huge plus and it seemed clean and well maintained. I just wish that I didn’t feel like I was being nickelled and dimed every step of the way. I knew that about NCL going in but I was worse than I anticipated. Read Less

Disappointed in the lack of service in our stateroom, had to deep reminding the steward to empty trash, provide toilet paper, tissues and towels. Very disappointed in lack of space (seating) in the public areas like the Atrium and Observation deck. Also found that much of what we wanted to do was already booked on our first day. The cruise skipped going to Ketchikan due to weather, but no additional activities or entertainment was provided. Very bored at that point. Comedy club booked, specialty restaurants booked, Disembarking at stops was chaotic and long, should have been better managed. On a positive note, the food was very good, no matter which dining room we ate in, although finding a seat at the Garden Buffet was so difficult, if we already had food, it was cold by the time we were able to sit down. Everything on board was so expensive. Would not recommend Norwegian. Read Less

This was suggested by our travel agent because we wanted to pair it with a land Cruisetour. Land tour was amazing. The ship seemed very old. You could see where repairs in a number of areas needed to be made. Shopping was limited aboard ship and very expensive. Dining room food was pretty good, but Horizon Court was pretty bad. Entertainment was so so. Very little interactment with the staff. Unable to hear an announcements in our cabin and even if you could hear them the PA system was very muffled. It seemed like there wasn’ enough staff in the dining rooms. Sometimes we waited quite a while for service after getting water poured. Sometimes we were asked if we wanted a drink and sometimes not and sometimes we had to ask them or remind them. After such a wonderful time on our land tour the cruise part was pretty disappointing. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the departure port and itinerary, but I wouldn’t change anything. The ship is older and doesn’t have all the wizz bang features of the new ships, but that’s not why you cruise to Alaska. I didn’t notice any maintenance issues or problems with cleanliness. No funny sewerage smells or problems with air conditioning. Our stateroom was always clean and very comfortable. The size was not massive, but more than enough considering the amount of time we spent outside our cabin. Overall the crew were very friendly and efficient. I agree with some of the comments about the buffet, but if you choose carefully you can still have a good meal every time. If you time your meals correctly there are virtually no queues and we always found a table. Remember there is another seating area towards the back of the ship on both sides. We chose traditional dining for dinner and were able to get a table for two after requesting it on the embarkation day. We had to share for the first night, but had our own table for the rest of the cruise. The menu is adequate and again with careful choices you can have a lovely meal every night. The Crown Grill was excellent. Great food and service. Alaska was amazing! We even saw the Northern Lights (on the departure out of Haines and only for about fifteen minutes). I would happily cruise on the Grand Princess again. We’re already planning to repeat this cruise with our kids in a couple of years. Read Less

Wanted trip to Alaska, friends were going. Didn't realize how enormous ship was (meaning huge lines for the inadequate number of elevators, time-consuming just to travel to and from cabin to everything). On other cruises, I knew I was being squeezed for extra money--on this cruise, it felt like I was constantly being held up by my ankles and shaken for every last penny. The extra-cost Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant made Chef Boy-ar-dee look good (although Chops was excellent and worth the up-charge). Royal Caribbean apparently believe that they absolutely MUST pipe in loud and unappealling musis to every corner of the ship at every hour of the day. There was literally not restaurant, hallway, bar, or any other venue that did not have constant music being blared over the loudspeakers. There were only two "Alaskan" ports (Juneau and Skagway). To say they had the feel of Caribbean ports would be an understatement. They looked exactly like ports in the Caribbean because the VERY SAME jewelry stores were right there in your face--the owners summer in Alaska and winter in the caribbean. The Yukon Pass train in Skagway was a wonderful excursion, but for the most part the two ports felt like pure tourist trap. Technically, I can say I have been to Alaska but it certainly doesn't feel like it. The day we were supposed to be touring the glacier was too foggy to visit it, so no glacier (but it sure looked like a lot of other ships were going to it and heading back from it while we bided our time "whale watching"). The food in the dining room was mediocre (which surprised me based on our prior RC experience). More drinking than I expected on an Alaska cruise (it felt more like a caribbean party boat). We put our luggage outside our door the last night, properly tagged, as instructed. In port, all but one of our bags had been off-loaded to the right area. We didn't find our last bag in time to leave for our flight, and we filled out the RC form. My attempts to find out about the bag through the customer "service" line was an exercise in Kafka-esque futility. The on-line process they require has proven meaningless. Nearly two weeks after RC took custody and control of our bag, we have now information about it (it was highly distinctive, impossible to overlook if someone actually looked for it). Trying to get information from RC has proven to be an utter waste of time. I can't imagine ever taking an RC cruise again. Read Less

I just really have always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise. The Coral Princess in September was a wonderful experience. The crowds were smaller and the weather was just about perfect. There was not a mosquito to be found. The shore excursions were first rate. The stops in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway offered a variety of experiences. There was plenty of time for shopping and exploring even with taking shore excursions. The Glacier cruising was awe inspiring. Cruising in September means that you get to see even more glaciers because there are some areas that are closed to cruise ships until September As always on a Princess cruise the food was delicious. The Entertainment was professional class. The Crew is always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.Even the transfer from Anchorage to Whittier was first rate with a bus driver/tour guide who was great telling us about life in Alaska and pointing out interesting things along the way.. We even were able to take a shore excursion in Vancouver after we disembarked and before we had to fly out. Not only did it give us a great overview of Vancouver, it also lessened our time sitting in the airport. Our balcony stateroom offered stunning views. The ship is a slightly smaller ship and that made getting around very easy. Everything went smoothly from embarking to disembarking. Princess knows how to do things right. Read Less

We chose this cruise for a couple reasons. First of all we sailed on the Jewel last year from Vancouver to Tokyo, and on to Singapore where it went into dry dock for a refurbishment, and we wanted to see the changes. Secondly, some friends of ours were sailing on it, and asked us to join them. We also had made friends with many of the crew members, and were eager to see who would still be on the ship. It made us extremely happy that Dan was still the Cruise Director! We really think he's great, and extremely personable and approachable. He happily welcomed us back. To our dismay, many of our other favorite crew members were no longer on board. We do realize contracts end, and no one is guaranteed to come back to the same ship upon renewal. We had a balcony room on deck 9--one door down from our cabin last year. We also had the Unlimited beverage package, and the three specialty dining package, and 250 minutes of wi-fi, along with $50 towards each shore excursion and $50 on board credit per person as our perks. We couldn't make use of the friends and family are free, or the free air fare. The entertainment was excellent as usual. The production company is extremely talented, and very friendly when you see them on board ship when they're not performing. We had good service from our cabin steward who was very friendly and eager to help with anything. The shore excursions were excellent for the most part. The Salmon Bake was not as good as we had expected. I wouldn't do that again. The Crab Fest, and the White Mountain Yukon Pass Railroad ride I've done twice now. Obviously, I think they're absolutely worth doing again. We were disappointed that LeBistro Restaurant didn't match the quality or service that we have experienced on previous cruises. Cagney's also was better on past cruises. The bar service was lacking as well. I would make a suggestion for the Starlight Theater that you get cup holders for the chairs. I noticed that the refurbishment there only consisted of reupholstering the chairs, new carpet, and a brand new stage curtain. Thank goodness you got rid of the Peacock! We are planning another cruise next year on the Jewel, and are hoping that a longer cruise will pan out to be better than this one. We're sailing from Hawaii to Papeete, and Papeete to Austrailia--a repositioning cruise. As a loyal NCL Platinum Latitudes member , and a travel agent, I am hopeful that some of my concerns will be addressed, so my clients will not be disappointed when I recommend and book an NCL cruise for them. I purchased four Cruise Next certificates for use next year, and I'm hoping NCL doesn't disappoint me. Read Less

This was our third NCL Cruise. Our first ever cruise to Alaska. I should change my CC handle to "CigarCruiser" because, I will always address cigar related issues to cruising. Cruise ship musts for us include cabin comforts, specialty restaurants, and a reasonable cigar lounge. NCL continues to meet these criteria for us. We had a mini-suite category cabin on deck 8. We ate at 7 of the specialty restaurants (5 for dinner and 2 for lunch). I visited the Humidor Lounge daily. We chose the "sail away" rate, as opposed to the more inclusive rates. Our rationale is that we don't drink that much. In fact, I'm pretty sure the "Gratuity/Service Charge" of $154 per person was greater than the amount we consumed on the voyage. I didn't use the ship's internet. We bought a 4 meal specialty dining plan. The Restaurants: La Cuccina, Italian. I had Osso Bucco, my wife had Veal Scallopini. Very good dinner. American Diner. We had lunch. Its kind of open air, so, it was chilly. I had skirt steak chimichurri ($15). My wife had their cheeseburger ($11). Cheeseburger gets vote for best burger at sea now, surpassing previous #1 of Carnival's Guy's Burger and HAL's made to order burgers. Yeah, you have to pay for it, but, its worth it. The skirt steak was great, also. This one isn't expensive enough to use your meal plan, so, I don't think many people are eating there. But, its worth it. Q, Texas BBQ. I had the Texas sampler with brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and chicken. My wife had the ribs. This was surprisingly good. I've never been a brisket fan (I guess, being from Alabama). The brisket was very tender. Everything else was very good. We'll go back. Our bill total before being zero'd out by the meal plan was about $70, so, it justifies the meal plan, but, just barely. Teppanyaki, Japanese Hibachi show dinner. This was fun. I had filet and scallops. This specialty actually costs more than our local similar restaurants at $39.95 apiece. So, this one and Q, I think seem to be unsubsidized by the dining portion of your cruise fare. Increasingly, the costs of the specialty restaurants appear to be comparable to similar quality restaurants on land. But, its worth using the specialty plan here. Cagney's, Steak. This was the best Cagney's we have experienced. Both of our steaks (a filet and a porterhouse) were cooked pretty accurately. This was very good. I'd say half way between Outback and Flemings or Ruth's Chris on my quality meter. The cost (without the dining plan is also about half way between. Great choice for your specialty plan. Food Republic, Mostly Asian. My wife loves this place. Its all small plates. We tried a few, and spent $70 (didn't use specialty plan). It was all good. I particularly liked the pork belly with ramen and the scotch eggs. Le Bistro, French. We had 8 oz filets. They were different from Cagney's, which surprised me. Also very good. Just a little less expensive than Cagney's, but, not much. Probably your second best choice for specialty plan. The Humidor Lounge, Cigars. If you enjoy a cigar or two while on vacation, this is a nice hideaway on the 8th deck. Unlike other ships, its not attached to Malting's Whiskey Bar. There were signs (3 of them) prominently displayed, stating that this lounge for for cigars only and that cigarettes were prohibited there. Well, that didn't matter, which shouldn't matter to anyone other than cigar lovers and cigarette smokers. If you like cigarettes, then this place beats the pants off of the corner of H2O Spice, where it was cold through most of the Alaskan Cruise, and many smokers were only too happy to adopt this as their home at sea. I was fortunate to find a seat in the lounge for my cigar. I didn't complain, and I don't think anyone else did, either. But, NCL, to their credit, did make a few attempts at enforcement. But, too many staff came through to provide implied consent. My fear here is that this is fast becoming an airport smoking lounge. When the ship realizes this, they will just re-purpose the room. The cigarette smokers will go where they are allowed. And, cigar aficionados will abandon the line. There are 18 comfortable seats in this room. You have to use the telephone to order drinks or cigars. One decent smoking bar would generate more revenue, and it would show more concern for their cigarette smoking/paying guests. IMHO. Entertainment. We skipped the Footloose show. This is notable, because the Broadway type shows on Breakaway and Bliss (Rock of Ages and Jersey Boys) were amazing. We went to the opening Theater Entertainment Sampler. They did 2 numbers from Footloose, and, I want to be charitable here, but, they just weren't good. We did go to Elements. This show was amazing. It is not to be missed. The Russian aerial acrobatic and ballet couple were awesome. The magician (PJ Wen) provided spectacular illusions. We were mesmerized throughout this show. Finally, the Beatles Tribute Band did a long set concert covering the Beatles career on Friday afternoon before we landed at Victoria. What a great show. The Cavern Club is just not big enough for the quality of their shows (also true on Bliss). But, I get what they are trying to re-create here. On both cruises where they have a Cavern Club, the band has done a long show in the theater on the final day or night of the cruise. The theater was packed for their show, demonstrating why it was so hard to get into the Cavern Club during the week. The final point on entertainment. You might be surprised to learn that the best singer on the ship is probably the cruise director, Dan Dan. He was on the Bliss earlier this year before transferring to the Joy. He is a brilliant singer. He should do a show. He will sing toward the end of your cruise. You should not miss it. Our cabin was a mini-suite, which seems a lot like a balcony cabin, except it has 2 sinks. I see some traditionalists complain about the less personable approach to housekeeping, but, I don't try to get to know maids at hotels. The guy cleaned our room, replaced our towels, got us ice, and he was courteous when he saw us. I don't think I want any more than that. The ship is like other large ships. It's beautiful. We found our way around pretty well. Once embarkation was done, it was pretty easy to get around. We didn't go to top decks much, because it wasn't really warm enough for pool activity. But, we were able to get elevators when we needed them. Read Less

We had never been to Alaska and wanted to go. Every meal was fantastic,we ate at night in the Dining Room, one meal was at the Crab Shack and one meal was at the Crown Grill, both were excellent. Our waiters were Omar and Thomas, those 2 were the nicest gentlemen, we had so much fun and they are polite and professional but made us feel like we were their only patrons. We had Jimmy as our cabin steward, I cannot say enough about this great man, he was at our beckon call. He always made us feel important and took the best care of my husband and I. I have 2 complaints and they are trivial. 1. I would like to have nachos on the trident grill menu or have them served on the buffet more, we only saw them on the buffet once our whole trip. 2. I would like to see movies streamed when your Princess Ads are not playing on the screen. My husband and I really like watching moves when we are out on the deck. Previous cruises on Princess , they would do 7pm movies, which was great. This time they did not start until 9pm, that is too late for us. Thanks for listening, we plan to cruise again soon, also loved the Alaskan cruise, best I have ever been on, My fave, was Glacier Bay, cannot stop raving over it and telling everyone to cruise Princess, once you try them, you will stay with them and I really did come back after our trip and felt renewed again! Read Less

Heard the Princess cruises to Alaska were the best. So we divided to see if it was true. The cruise was everything we expected and more. The highlight of our trip was seeing the glaciers. Everyone on the ship was pleasant and helpful. Our cabin was large and we had lots of room. The embarkation was very easy and painless. When we got on the ship we could immediately go to our cabin. The buffet was ready when we boarded and was plentiful and good. The excursions were good. We went on several and were pleased with the transportation and the content of the excursions. Good choices for the excursions. The food on the ship was outstanding and a good variety. The waiters and staff was always very attentive and the service was very good. The spa was nice and the massage I received was wonderful. Overall the cruise more than met our expectations and we are glad we chose Princess. We would go again. Read Less

My husband and I did the Alaskan cruise followed by a land tour with stays at the Princess Denali Lodge and Fairbanks Lodge. We wanted to see the glaciers, but also see the northern lights and visit the arctic circle. We had hoped to learn more about the Alaskan people and those that “live off the grid” as well as learn more about Alaska’s history. Our suite was beautiful and spacious and was best part of the cruise. The enrichment presentations were basic and repetitive. The talks were about mammals and sea life. Unfortunately, the lectures never focused on Alaska’s history, Aurora Borealis, or the glaciers and how global warming is causing most of the glaciers to recede. It was not until there was a surprise Northern Lights show during the early am hours through the College Fjord glaciers, that the Princess Cruise videographer spoke for a few minutes before a mammal talk, that there will be a dvd for sale with the nights light show along with pre-recorded Aurora Borealis events. We missed the Northern Lights that night as we were asleep. The Deadliest Catch excursion was great and I was pleasantly surprised. The Best of Juneau excursion was long and it was surprisingly warm. The glacier was sadly disappearing. The Yukon tour which included an extension bridge was also very long in duration. Again very warm which, of course, had nothing to do with Princess Cruises, but global warming. I forgot to add that the glacier viewing from the cruise ship was beautiful, but not as dramatic as one would think by viewing brochures. The Marjorie glacier I gather was grand at one time, but now it was just stagnant. I understand that it is one of the glaciers that is not receding. The College Fjord was far more spectacular with larger pieces of icebergs floating along side the ship. The land tour was very good. Weather remained quite warm, but overcast in the evening which prevented the Aurora Borealis from being viewed fully. We were only able to see a portion of Denali, but quite impressive. The highlight was the plane ride from Fairbanks into the Arctic Circle. Learned a lot about “living off the grid” and sustainable living in Alaska. I would of loved to have learned about the lifestyle of First Nation, Alaskans, and Indian tribes on the cruise before the land tour. Lastly, there are many fires that are still occurring in Alaska, so smoke may be present. In fact, we could smell the smoke in the plane on our flight to the Arctic Circle. We also could see the Rampart fire from the plane. Read Less

I decided to take vacations the last moment (needed a break from a stressful work assignment) so once I decided on the destination, an Alaska cruise, I got what was still available so it wasn't really a thorough choice. Some other lines were selling out fast, the Norwegian Bliss still had a mini-suite (better accommodations were sold out) so I took it. This was my first cruise so I didn't know what to expect, but I was overall pleasantly surprised, with many ups, but also, there were a few downs. The good: the Norwegian Bliss is a very new ship, and it is tastefully decorated, with everything in top shape and working order. The service is unbelievable, with extremely friendly and helpful staff everywhere. We didn't have a single negative experience with the staff. We were impressed with how they were always willing to help, with a smile, and were very efficient, knowledgeable, and professional. The Norwegian Cruise Line must have an excellent training center for the staff! We felt pampered! Some of the food was surprisingly good. The La Cucina restaurant served one of the best Italian meals I've ever had, and I'm half-Italian (I'm a dual citizen of Italy and the United States), I know Italian cuisine very well. Food Republic was delicious with original items, very well-presented. Los Lobos was very tasty too, with Mexican food that benefits from a modern touch. The one meal we had at the complimentary Manhattan was excellent and almost as good as what we had in the paid specialty venues above. Breakfast at The Local was tasty and peaceful. The swimming pool area and the hot tubs were clean and pleasant, and never too crowded. The Observation Lounge is a very cool and relaxing space, and they have tasty snacks and a nice piano bar. I really enjoyed the cast of the musical Six (the other musical, Jersey Boys, I didn't attend because I had seen it already), and the Beatles cover band at The Cavern. A duo of Phillipino male pianist and female singer were excellent. The silent disco with earphones at the Social was cool. The bar that specializes in Mojitos was good too. The wine bar The Cellar was excellent, with very good tasting events, including lectures by a very knowledgeable sommelier. I've been studying and tasting wine for decades and still, he surprised me with some information that I didn't know. The stand-up comedians were very, very funny! My wife very much enjoyed the Spa. She had several treatments there, and found the staff to be competent, and with prices similar to what she pays elsewhere. I didn't frequent it. She also liked the Gym with Yoga and Aerobic classes. Gift shops were good; my wife gave me a beautiful Scuderia Ferrari watch and I gave her a nice necklace. These were both well-priced. Other guests were friendly, polite, and we had some nice conversations. Embarkation was easy and fast. Disembarkation, however, was rather slow, with long lines and long waiting times. The bad: The Norwegian Bliss, together with the similar Norwegian Joy, are two of the biggest ships in the business, and the elevators, 16 in total, were overwhelmed. Often, the elevators were full when they reached our deck, and we had to wait and wait for an opportunity to get in. This ship should have the double of the number of elevators they offer. It's a pity that obviously, this can't be changed. The architects should have planned it better: for a ship this size, add more elevators! Some of the food was rather mediocre. The two restaurants with the best reputation, Ocean Blue and Le Bistro, were paradoxically very weak. For example, I had a steak with five peppers at Le Bistro, and I had to abundantly add more pepper to get any flavor at all, and the meat was overcooked although I asked for medium rare. Again, I lived in Paris, France, for 5 years and I know French cuisine very well. Everything we had at Le Bistro was bland and a pale imitation of good French cooking. Ocean Blue was also rather unremarkable. We had better seafood in the other venues, as compared to this one that specializes in seafood. Weird. Two of the three main complimentary restaurants, Taste and Savor, were also very mediocre. The Garden Cafe serves a buffet, and the food there was rather unappealing as well, not to forget, it was very crowded and chaotic. A particular breakfast at Savor was almost disgusting, with a croissant with scrambled eggs that looked like it was microwaved, so mushy the croissant was, and Eggs Benedict that were pretty dry and chewy. Some of the live music was atrocious. First of all, the selection is geared towards Country and Pop, two genres I don't care for. There was absolutely no venue that played jazz. For a cruise line that is registered in the United States (as well as the Bahamas) and sails to and from mostly American cities (with the exception of Victoria, BC) with most guests being American, it is weird that they don't present at all the most quintessential American genre, jazz. I also enjoy classical music and there was none to be found. The blonde female pianist was terrible, often botching the musical lines. The rock band Blue 4, oh my God, they must be the worst I've ever heard! Slow, low energy, poor playing, and mediocre voices. I can't believe the cruise line can't find better musicians. As a matter of fact, in the talent show featuring members of the crew, there were two waiters who sang much better than most singers who were hired for the live music! It would be nice to have an indoor swimming pool for the cold weather. Apparently they do have one in The Haven, the upscale section of the ship, but it's only for the guests of that section, which was sold out when I booked my cruise. The shore excursions in general were expensive and not a good value. Some were enjoyable but others were rushed and confusing, including, it was hard to find the correct buses outside. Maybe it's the luck of the draw since there are so many options, but unfortunately some of the ones we picked weren't that great. We bought them from the cruise line website and later realized that the same excursions are offered elsewhere for much cheaper prices. Oh well, I guess next cruise I'll be smarter. A couple of them were good, though. The art auctions weren't good. We found most of the art being sold, to be very tacky. Funny enough, the one piece we liked inside the art venue, wasn't for sale; it was part of the permanent ship decor. So, overall, I'm pleased with the Norwegian Bliss, but I do think they need to hire better musicians, be a bit more even in terms of food quality, and it would be lovely to have more elevators and an indoor swimming pool, although these structural issues are set in stone and can't be changed. Read Less

The only thing that was hard to hold on to is self-discipline. The quarters, people, and facilities are stunning. I couldn't leave my cabin without finding it made up and snacks replaced with other snacks I couldn't walk around the Haven (ship within the ship for upscale cruisers) without someone asking if I needed them to get me anything. Haven restaurant served gourmet food every meal The off-shore excursions were easily arranged by the concierge. The 24-hour butler was just a phone call away. The scale of the scenery was grand and awe inspiring. The Jersey Boys show was magnificent. I almost had withdrawal symptoms when I got back home. Want to do it again. One of the things I really like is the opportunity to leave feedback on any crew members that stood out for superb customer service. I had to name quite a few. If you decide to go on a cruise, take this one and book a suite in the Haven if possible. I was very pleased. Read Less

Received a promotional offer from a travel agency we have used before. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery. The Ports were fun but the stop in Victoria at 19:30 was a waste of time. Time would have been better spent staying longer in Ketchikan, which was too short. We spent 2 days seeing Seattle before the cruise which was nice. Transfer from hotel to airport to ship went smoothly. Enjoyed the amenities onboard the ship and the time in Glacier Bay was very nice. Best breakfast onboard was the buffet. Restaurant menu was very limited which is understandable on a week long cruise. Best dinner was in the Local. Other restaurants tried to make things too fancy with tiny portions.. Disembarkation was a very pleasant experience. We just tagged our bags and put them in the hallway the night before and the next time we saw the was a baggage claim in our hometown. They even had our boarding passes printed and delivered to our room so we could go straight to security and boarding. Read Less

We have never cruised in the past so we did not know what to expect or to compare. I don't know what everyone was complaining about. Nothing is perfect but the staff tried to do what ever they could to make it perfect for you. I made reservations before we left for all the specialty dining and shows so were did not have any issues with reservations. They tell you well in advance to make these reservations for if you didn't, then you missed you opportunity. Getting on and off the ship for excursions was seamless. You need to listen to what they tell you about getting off which most people did not and then you grumble and complain. Yes the elevators where crowded but over 3000 people are trying to move through the ship on 18 floors, but this was not an all day occurrence. It would only happen during the busy times such as getting on and off the ship. Out bed was very comfortable. It had a nice pad on it and the pillows were very soft and supportive. We had a balcony and really enjoyed except someone again was not following the rules and was smoking on the balcony and butts would land on ours along with the smell. We did excursions on all the ports so enjoyed that. Icy Straits was truly Alaska as far as I'm concerned. I didn't go to Alaska to purchase items from china or give my money to vendors that go from one port to another. If you would go into the town of Hoonah you might not find the fancy store fronts but talking to the local residents you would get the true Alaskan experience. That is why we went to Alaska, The specialty dinning we had was fabulous. You could find food anywhere you went. The Buffet was ok if you wanted something quick. My biggest complaint about the buffet was the rudeness of the people cutting in front of you to grab the food. I never knew what the hurry was as we were sailing and had no place to go. You are on vacation so take a chill pill for petes sake. Entertainment was fair to good. We are not no Broadway so I didn't expect Broadway shows. Footloose was like a High School musical but it entertained us. Elements was excellent. We couldn't see the Glaciers as it was to foggy, no fault of Norwegian. If something would have happened if we would have entered the area then people would have something to complain about. The staff was always attentive. Our housekeeper steward was wonderful. Would always greet us with a warm smile and hug. Jing jing made us feel very special. We enjoyed trying all the different drinks offered. I really had to complaints and we really enjoyed our vacation. Read Less

We had an amazing vacation. Meet some very neat people. Looking forward to keeping in touch with them. The ship was clean and beautiful. Food in the Horizon Court was always really good. The best meal we had was at Curtis Stone Share! Go there and eat, you will not be disappointed. The Casino was fun we won some and lost some but overall it was fun. The artwork was pretty, not my style but nice to look at. We got the coffee card, but could have done without it. The coffee in the Horizon was just as good and free :). Soft serve ice cream was perfect, my hubby's favorite. :) We had great weather, only rained in Juneau. We did a little shopping in Juneau. We did the train ride in Skagway, that was beautiful. I would go again! Glacier Bay was beautiful, so peaceful and relaxing, we did see a portion of the glacier break but did not get pictures.The Lumber Jack Show in Ketchikan was really cute and fun, great for the family! We did the Pedi-Cab ride in Victoria, BC, I recommend seeing the city this way. The stop in Victoria is short and Pedi-Cab makes it to where you see the whole city in 2 1/2 hours. So you still have time to shop if you want. Overall the best vacation we have taken in years. We are looking forward to our next cruise, I really want to got to New England & Canada cruise. Read Less

This is a newer ship with new technology and it has some of the best features with updated state rooms, or show rooms. Because it is a bigger ship with more passengers, they have better shows. The talent is the best I have seen on a cruise ship. The showroom in the back of the ship has stages that go up and down and holes open in the ceiling where people come down on a wire to put on a great show. There are more lounge acts with more entertainment. But those are the good things. The bad part is the music is way too loud and they think that people like it that way. But I saw people leaving the show because they didn’t like it. I wore my ear plugs and was ok. The ship is set up for all ages and they do a good job at keeping young folks on deck 15 and gamblers in the casino on deck 3 that is away from everything else. But the folks that like to go on this ship are people that like bumper cars, rock climbing, the flow rider, etc.... I have never seen so many people with tattoos and people wearing old T-shirt’s on a cruise ship. Formal night is a joke. Only 20 percent of the people put on a jacket or wore a tie. The rest of the folks were comfortable in T-shirt’s or whatever they were wearing that day. Most of the people in the lounge or walking around the deck look like they just came from Walmart. Maybe this is what some folks like, but it is not for me. The food and service is much better on Celebrity and Princess. The people working on this ship do a great job or the best they can. But there are about 3 passengers for 1 crew member on this ship while Princess has 2.5 and Celebrity has 2 and Crystal might have 1.3. The difference can really be seen in the dining room with long delays and having to wait on your waiter. We have no regrets taking this cruise, but I think others ships in this price range are better. Read Less